The invention lies in the field of switching technology and deals with aspects of quality testing for data transmission over packet networks, for example IP (Internet Protocol)-based networks.
TMD (Time Division Multiplexing) networks provide a wide diversity of quality attributes, in particular for services with voice transmission, i.e. telephony. Guaranteeing these attributes requires regular testing or supervision of transmission links. As regards the convergence of TDM networks and packet-based networks, it is desirable to also guarantee the quality attributes known from TDM networks for packet networks and for the interworking of different network types. Above all, for voice-related services, compliance with quality attributes plays an important role in ensuring that demands such as real time transmission and adequate speech quality are met. Thus considerable development work is directed to providing quality attributes for voice transmission over IP networks. In this connection voice-over-IP, abbreviated to VoIP, is referred to.